The Howl & Moon: Hopper & The Mommy & Me Inevitability

Nik and I asked Keiko a lot of questions about what would be available for Hopper in Kamiyama. I wasn't so concerned about spending time with him, but more about him spending so much time with me. It's important for a 2 year old to play with kids and learn about all the things they are inherently bad at, like sharing, saying yes, playing together without bashing each other in the face. You know, those things.

(Ok, ok, I was also hoping to get that necessary alone time that keeps every mama sane. And a third party to administer some discipline because there's nothing like some adult guidance without emotional strings.)

She told us there really weren't any proper creches around here that would welcome an English speaking child for short term care, but that maybe we could join a playgroup. I was apprehensive until I met Eri and her 1 year old son Ira. Eri lives here with her British husband Rufus who teaches with the JET program (English Teachers of Japan). So her English is excellent, and though Ira is a bit too young to play with Hopper, it's a relief to know he understands me and we can all hang out and communicate without the weird foreigner guilt.

So she invited Hopper and I to come to a local school that hosts the Mommy & Me playgroup for babies and toddlers and, true to Japan, it's done to perfection. The facilities are out of this world and there's even a group leader who oversees everyone and engages the kids to play with various toys. She makes kick-ass cardboard box cars and houses, and at the end of the day, she sings a parting song and directs it to each individual kid. It's quite touching.

Since it's a proper school, there are kids of various ages. You can tell their grade by the color of their hats! And they all sit down to lunch in their classrooms and of course eat with chopsticks. We tend to arrive when they have recess so it's a rainbow of madness with kids chasing dragon flies with nets, swinging on bars, riding scooters, and playing in the net-housed sand pit.

The unfortunate reality for Hopper is that he sticks out like a sore thumb and he's become intensely shy around people he doesn't know. (Truth be told, he's always been a little Crockpot, he needs time to feel comfortable even with people he's known his whole life.) Firstly, he's massive for his age here (everyone gets big eyes when I say how old he is). And the older school kids on the playground just want to play with him, I mean like he's a toy. When we go outside they just want to poke him and touch his hair and they surround him like hyenas on a kill. He of course gets freaked out and shouts "mag niet!" and "niet doen!" and does a lot of vehement pointing. All this is done from between the safety of my legs. So as long as we stay inside, he will happily drag me over to play with toys but insists I stay near him. (which yes makes this whole shenanigan somewhat redundant)

The kids are all super sweet and I know it's curiousity and the power of numbers emboldening them. I can surely expect that eventually his newness will wear off and he will be allowed to wander unhindered. But until that happens, we will be playing quietly inside with the baby group, which is ok. The toys are great (and organized on shelves with photos so you know where to put them away) and the books are outstanding. It's of course hard to communicate with the other mamas but Eri is usually there with Ira and I spend my time cutting wooden fruit with my shy 2 year old boy anyway.